The U.S. economy added 156,000 new jobs in September 2016, per data released by the Department of Labor on Friday. That's a solid add -- not historic by any measure, but strong before the typical surge that comes with holiday hiring in October and November.
The autumn months are often some of the best for employment. The last two years, the American economy added almost 800,000 jobs in 2014, and more so in 2015. That's great news for active participants in the labor market, which the new unemployment suggests has gone up. Despite the overall gain in total jobs, unemployment increased from 4.9% to 5%.
That's a good thing: It means more job seekers who stopped actively hunting employment amid the Great Recession and in the gradual recovery are back on the beat. Should autumn hiring match recent trends, a significant surge in employment heading into 2017 will follow.
Overall, active participation in the job market increased by almost half-a-million people.
More good news: The two most active industries in September 2016 were professional and business services, as well as healthcare. Those are two sectors often featuring better paying jobs, a fact that jibes with the 2.5% growth in average wages over the last 12 months.
Job seekers looking for an opportunity in the professional/business sector may consider searching the databases of the CareerCast Marketing Network and the CareerCast Finance Network. For professionals in healthcare, head to the CareerCast Health Network.